If you're a fellow blogger or Etsy seller, or just someone that likes posting on Instagram a lot, one of the tools that has made the process so much easier is Planoly.

I joined Instagram last year and wasn’t having much luck with engagement and growing my followers. I never used to post on Instagram because it was such a hassle remembering to post (I live in Australia so I'd either need to post first thing in the morning or last thing at night for it to be seen by people in the USA).

I’ll be honest, Instagram is my least favorite social media platform, mainly because it’s all done on your iPhone.

I like iPhones for their convenience, but nothing replaces a laptop or computer and an actual keyboard. To try and get around having to manually type in post descriptions and URL links to blog posts with tutorials when I did a post about them on Instagram, and so I could type on an actual keyboard, I went on a search for an Instagram app that would make Instagramming quicker and more efficient.

I considered a few apps including Hootsuite and ITTT (If This Then That), but the app I settled on was Planoly.

The reason I chose Planoly was because:

• I can quickly and easily schedule posts on my computer (i.e. I can use the keyboard on my computer not the annoying keyboard on iPhones)

• Once scheduled, the app will send me a text message notification when it’s time to post. All I have to do is hit the ‘post’ button and the post will go live will my post description and hashtags already there

• It’s free. With their free plan you can post up to 30 times a month (i.e. once per day) and it won’t cost you a thing! After that it costs about $9 per month (affiliate link)

• Analytics

• Easy to use. You can use the app or use the app on your desktop. I prefer to use my desktop

• Gives you suggested hashtags and tells you how many people have posted with that hashtag so yuo can make sure you’re using hashtags that will results in your posts actually being seen

• Saves so much time. I can now schedule an entire month’s worth of Instagram posts in about an hour and a half, and then all I need to do is hit post when the text message notification comes up

• While you can use Hootsuite to post for you, it’s expensive. When I was looking for a posting app it was at the point where I had nearly written off and ditched Instagram altogether. A scheduling app was the last ditch make or break so I wanted to see if Planoly could make me change my mind about Instagram

There are various apps you can use to schedule your Instagram posts, but most can’t post for you and you will still be required to press the ‘post’ button’

How to use Planoly to schedule Instagram posts from your computer

To enlarge the screen of the video, click the square icon in the bottom right hand corner of the video (it will say ‘full screen’ when you hover your mouse over the icon).

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If you want to try Planoly it's free for up to 30 photos a month (so if you post once per day). If you need more than that it's only $9/month (affiliate link).

If you need to do a post 'on the fly' straight from your iPhone (or you post more than once a day and are too stingy to pay for the paid plan), then try keyboard text replacement:

For your iPhone, go to Settings > General > Keyboards > Text Replacement > Add New

100 Instagram Hashtags for planner addicts

And if you're a fellow planner lover but you don't post on Instagram and just go on there for inspiration, click here to download a list of 100 planner related hashtags! Make sure you set a timer though as you could be on there all day looking at all the photos of planner spreads, office pictures, stationery hauls and rainbow pens...

Don't forget to follow me on Instagram while you're there! :)

How to post from your phone

If you'd prefer to set up a post within the app on your iPhone rather than your computer, you can still do this.

Choose the image from your camera roll (or from within the Planoly app that you already typed from your computer)

Edit the photo if needed

Choose tags - if you type words it'll come up with suggested hashtags and their popularity. So in the image below I would choose #plannerinserts as it's the most popular. I'd also choose one not as popular i.e. #plannerinsert I tend not to choose hastags that have less than 2000 posts - you only get a maximum 30 per post - use them wisely!

Ready to post!

Related: How to Make Printables!

Note: I contacts Planoly about an option to rotate photos once they're uploaded into Planoly which they don't have as yet, so make sure you rotate photos before uploading.

Make sure you follow me on instagram if you aren't already!

Related Posts:

• How to write and publish a blog post in 1 hour (plus a free printable blog post workflow checklist)
• How to make pinnable graphics for your blog posts (step by step video tutorial)
• Ultimate list of 100 Free and Paid Stock Photo Websites for Bloggers, Etsy sellers and Entrepreneurs
• How to use Boardbooster to increase traffic to your blog or Etsy shop (tutorial)

Disclaimer; This post contains affiliate links - I only recommend tools I actually use and would recommend even if I didn't receive a small commission (at no extra cost to you) for referring you). If Im taking the time to write a blog post about it, then you know it's a tool worth trying!

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